Windrush Passenger. Alford Gardner, one of the few surviving Windrush passengers, from the 1948 SS Empire Windrush, which left Jamaica bound for Britain. Portrait photographed by the River Thames, South Bank, London, UK. May 25, 2018. Photo: Edmond Terakopian

I’d like to thank the judges for putting together the shortlisted images and also congratulate the other shortlisted photographers for some truly spectacular images.

Technical Info

For those interested in the equipment used, both images were shot using a Panasonic Lumix G9. The running child was shot using a Leica DG 50-200mm f2.8-4.0 lens and the portrait was shot using a Leica DG 25mm Summilux. Both images were shot in raw and processed in Adobe Lightroom, with the final black and white treatment being completed using Alienskin Exposure X3.

It’s a shot from 2011 of US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron in Downing Street. Although a straight forward hand shake picture, the challenges were there (it’s often the simple shots that turn out to be complicated!). We had to arrive many, many hour before the President was due to arrive. Once through the security, we waited I think close to five hours. Naturally the light also started to misbehave. On top of which there were probably easily between 50-60 photographers there (and several TV crews), all crammed together like sardines who even more familiar than normal sardines (read that as proper squashed!). When the image happened, amid the screams of photographers trying to get an eye line from both politicians, the sun came out seconds before, causing a massive shadow where the President was standing and a huge area of massive highlight where the Prime Minister was standing. Thankfully shooting RAW and processing in Aperture (at the time) allowed me to save the highlights and bring out some detail front he shadow areas! This version has been processed in Adobe Lightroom and Alienskin Exposure 6. Not one to shout, I waited patiently hoping for both gents to be looking in my general direction and somehow got lucky enough to have adjusted my exposure in time for when they both looked down my lens, together! The shot was taken on a Canon 5D MkII and Canon 70-200mm f2.8L II IS lens.

I’d like to thank everyone who voted for the image. Lets all keep our fingers crossed for the judging, the results of which will be announced on November 15th.

Congratulations on all the other creatives for making the shortlist and for G-Technology Europe for their support of the arts. Big thanks to Maya and again, for everyone who voted. I really appreciate it 🙂